How Different Countries Celebrate Thanksgiving

Japan

Japanese celebrate something called Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha no Hi), which is celebrated on Nov. 23 every year. The significance of the day is to commemorate labor and production and giving each other thanks. Children in elementary school create drawings for the holiday and give them as gifts to the neighborhood police officers, hospital staff, personnel of the Japan Self Defense Force and the Japan Coast Guard. This is to show them appreciation for their contribution to the country. In Japan the average worker labors 2,150 hours a year. They normally eat a meal with rice, fish, and tea.
Photo: Coto Language Academy

China

The Chinese celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival around the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar. This celebration normally falls in late September or early October. The holiday is much like an American Thanksgiving, because it originated to express gratitude for the changing of the seasons and to celebrate the fall harvest. Although one of America’s favorite Thanksgiving desserts is pumpkin pie, in China their favorite dessert is moon cake. A moon cake is a baked concoction filled with sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds and duck eggs.

Photo: Heart Radio

Germany

The annual harvest festival in Germany is known as Erntedankfest, which is typically held on the first Sunday in October. This holiday is not family oriented. The celebrations throughout Germany, typically put on by Protestant and Catholic churches, are marked by parades, fireworks, music and dancing. Unlike Americans, Germans are also more likely to celebrate the harvest with chickens or geese.

Photo: Hotel & Restaurant Weinlandhof

South Korea

South Koreans celebrate Chuseok Day, which is held in mid-to-late September. Koreans typically spend the holiday with their family and give thanks to their ancestors. Chuseok Day is also a day to celebrate the autumn harvest. Much like in America, this is often done by sharing a meal with family members. Koreans also celebrate by including ancestor memorial services, Korean wrestling and Korean circle dances.